For years America has armed and trained terrorists in Syria in order to overthrow the Assad government. It's been an open secret since at least 2012 that these so-called "moderate rebels" are actually jihadists. Tulsi Gabbard is the only person who's been allowed on mainstream media to expose this immoral activity after she introduced the "Stop Arming Terrorists" bill. Well, last week Donald Trump finally stopped the CIA's program of funding these rebel groups. This is long overdue. These jihadists should never have been supported by America (and Britain) in the first place. Trump has done a good thing here. This was always the one area where Trump promised to be better than Hillary Clinton (he's worse on everything else). It was because of pro-peace policy suggestions like this that he was attacked as "Putin's puppet" (Putin opposes the jihadists we support). Naturally the media are disappointed that we are withdrawing support from the terrorists. This article is worth reading if you want to know what's really going on, not only with Syria, but also with Russiagate, and the ongoing media promotion of conflict and war.

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Media Mourn End of CIA Killing Syrians and Strengthening Al Qaeda

The US government has finally announced an end to its years-long program to arm and train Syrian rebels. The initiative, one of the CIA’s largest covert operations, with billions of dollars of funding, fueled mass killing in Syria and significantly prolonged the country’s horrific war. Widely respected experts have also acknowledged that it greatly strengthened murderous extremist groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda.

If one only read corporate media reporting, however, you would likely think that the termination of the CIA program was an abject tragedy. Spin doctors at major news outlets depicted the Trump administration’s decision as variously a spineless concession to the evil Russian puppet master and/or a wretched abandonment of a supposedly noble US commitment to “freedom and democracy.”

The Washington Post (7/19/17) took the lead with the article “Trump Ends Covert CIA Program to Arm Anti-Assad Rebels in Syria, a Move Sought by Moscow,” which framed the development almost entirely as a concession to the Kremlin. It cited Charles Lister, a hawkish analyst who has for years lobbied for US-led regime changein Syria. “We are falling into a Russian trap,” lamented Lister, who works for think tanksfunded by the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, and never fails to toe the line.

The Washington Post‘s resident unofficial CIA PR rep, David Ignatius (7/20/17), practically boasted that “CIA-backed fighters may have killed or wounded 100,000 Syrian soldiers and their allies over the past four years.”

A top US general later made it clear that the halt of the CIA operation was not about Russia. But this mattered little to the Fourth Estate; the “Kremlin plot” seed had already been planted.

The idea that it might actually be good to end a program that even establishment think tanks conceded empowered Al Qaeda and other jihadist militant groups in Syria, regardless of what Russia desires, was never entertained.

Empowering Al Qaeda

For once, think tanks offered a rare voice of reason. Writing for the Century Foundation, centrist analyst Sam Heller noted the halting of the program was “a concession to reality,” given it had for years been “indirectly feeding the Nusra Front”—Syrian Al Qaeda.

“As for the ‘moderate rebel force'” the CIA program was supposed to create, Heller noted,

for the last several years much of America’s support has gone to “Free Syrian Army” (FSA) factions that have functioned as battlefield auxiliaries and weapons farms for larger Islamist and jihadist factions, including Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate.

In north Syria, in “the revolution’s center of gravity,” Heller continued, “CIA-backed northern rebels were mostly backfilling for either the Nusra Front or Ahrar al-Sham, an Islamist movement-opposition faction and Nusra’s erstwhile ally.” Moreover, the genocidal “Islamic State burst out of the opposition’s chest.”

CNN (7/20/17) declared “the End of a Small CIA Program in Syria Is a Big Win for Russia,” which compounded the distortion by labeling the rebel support “small”; Timber Sycamore, the official name of the CIA operation for arming and training Syrian rebels, was one of the agency’s biggest. It spanned multiple countries, and involved billions of dollars, from the coffers of not just the US, but also of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. Officially, the CIA operations began in 2013, but in reality they started in 2012 at the latest.

“The problem with the program,” Sam Heller emphasized in his report, “was not that it was under resourced or ‘insufficient in scale.'”

Scholars like Joshua Landis, a leading academic expert on Syria with moderate, middle-of-the-road politics, also welcomed the end to the CIA program, which he uncontroversially noted “benefited spread of radicals like Al Qaeda and ISIS.”

Landis pointed to a largely forgotten 2012 New York Times report (10/14/12) that revealed that “most of the arms shipped” to Syrian rebels by US allies were “going to hard-line Islamic jihadists.” “Washington knew this by mid-2012. Took five more years to shut down flow,” commented Landis, who directs the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.

The professor cited another report that Syrian Al Qaeda had taken large chunks of the weapons sent to “moderate” rebel groups. Landis stressed, “US regime-change policy in the Middle East was a failure that fueled radicalism, prolonged civil wars, death and torture.”

Yet in the atypical moments when the Trump administration takes a break from escalating war and instead tries to rein military operations in a bit, corporate media harshly condemn it—frequently with Cold War–esque fearmongering about the Russian bear.

In fact, it is only when Trump escalates military aggression abroad that he is lauded and lionized (FAIR.org, 4/7/17, 4/11/17)—even by a liberal so-called “Resistance” that has elevated US intelligence agencies with long histories of coups to the status of heroes.

He was immediately swamped with accusations that he was coddling a bloodthirsty cartoon villain dictator on behalf of the Kremlin.

These histrionic lamentations for a catastrophic CIA operation that fueled Al Qaeda may perhaps come as no surprise, nevertheless, when one considers bloviating New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman (4/12/17), just several few weeks before, outlandishly proposed that the US should stop fighting ISIS and instead “dramatically increase our military aid to anti-Assad rebels,” despite the leading role of Al Qaeda in the opposition, in order to weaken the Syrian government and its allies Iran, Russia and Hezbollah (FAIR.org, 4/13/17).

US government documents and emails from former secretary of state Hillary Clinton have acknowledged that US proxies Saudi Arabia and Qatar did just that, supporting ISIS in its early days, to little public protest from Washington.

“The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them, inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.”
- Thomas Jefferson

Not providing arms is a good move. This is a good thing.
However let's not forget though that in addition to Trump selling 100 billions worth of arms to Saudi Arabia is that the military have under his command already killed more civilians in these few months than Obama's whole time in office. Trump has also resumed selling cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia which were banned under the Obama administration due to the situation in Yemen.
Trump's foriegn policy record has been horrible and has exceeded even the worse predictions that were made against him.

.[Edited 7/29/17 8:03am]

"It means finding the very human narrative of a man navigating between idealism and pragmatism, faith and politics, non-violence, the pitfalls of acclaim as the perils of rejection" – Lesley Hazleton on the first muslim, the prophet.

Not providing arms is a good move. This is a good thing. However let's not forget though that in addition to Trump selling 100 billions worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, the military under his orders have already killed more civilians in this few months than Obama's whole time in office. He has also resumed selling cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia which were banned under the Obama administration. Trump's foriegn policy record has been horrible and has exceeded even the worse predictions made against him. . [Edited 7/29/17 4:46am]

Totally agree. He has also illegally bombed Assad's forces on several occasions in the last few months. However, this direct support for jihadists has been an abomination for years so I welcome the end of that program. Of course the Pentagon has also been arming rebels in Syria. Not sure what's happening with that.

“The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them, inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.”
- Thomas Jefferson

Man, Tulsi Gabbard nails it here! Obviously she welcomes the move, but also she puts it in context. The establishment has an "addiction to regime change" that overrides basic common sense. You know it's messed up when DONALD TRUMP has to be the one to enforce rationality. Obama should be ashamed of himself for sitting by while the CIA fuelled terrorism in this way.

“The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them, inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.”
- Thomas Jefferson

Not providing arms is a good move. This is a good thing. However let's not forget though that in addition to Trump selling 100 billions worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, the military under his orders have already killed more civilians in this few months than Obama's whole time in office. He has also resumed selling cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia which were banned under the Obama administration. Trump's foriegn policy record has been horrible and has exceeded even the worse predictions made against him. . [Edited 7/29/17 4:46am]

Totally agree. He has also illegally bombed Assad's forces on several occasions in the last few months. However, this direct support for jihadists has been an abomination for years so I welcome the end of that program. Of course the Pentagon has also been arming rebels in Syria. Not sure what's happening with that.

Today it was announced that Donald Trump is also planning on extending sanctions against Russia and North Korea. He is also trying to destroy the Iran deal.

.[Edited 7/29/17 8:27am]

"It means finding the very human narrative of a man navigating between idealism and pragmatism, faith and politics, non-violence, the pitfalls of acclaim as the perils of rejection" – Lesley Hazleton on the first muslim, the prophet.

I only support him permanently leaving the White House and all that entails.

Do you think it was right for the CIA to arm these jihadists? You think that was a good thing?

“The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them, inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.”
- Thomas Jefferson

I only support him permanently leaving the White House and all that entails.

Do you think it was right for the CIA to arm these jihadists? You think that was a good thing?One of my great uncles was a Captain in the Royal Engineers. He was evacuated along with his unit from Dunkirk. Later he was awarded the military OBE. The Destroyer that picked him up was commanded by his brother. Turns out it can be a very small world.﻿

I only support him permanently leaving the White House and all that entails.

Do you think it was right for the CIA to arm these jihadists? You think that was a good thing? One of my great uncles was a Captain in the Royal Engineers. He was evacuated along with his unit from Dunkirk. Later he was awarded the military OBE. The Destroyer that picked him up was commanded by his brother. Turns out it can be a very small world.

Wow, that one is from some Russian website and was written by guy with the last name "LEE". TRULYUNCHRISTIAN, are you a russian bot??

Matthew 5:38-39
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

I only support him permanently leaving the White House and all that entails.

Do you think it was right for the CIA to arm these jihadists? You think that was a good thing?

I never said anything about jihadists. I said I support Trump permanently leaving the White House and all that entails. Besides, the U.S. created al Qaeda, and has provided arms to many rebel groups in other countries. Let's not fool ourselves into thinking we're all being high and mighty here talking about this particular set of radicals.

I support ending all the covert bullshit we are doing around the world. We got what we deserved when Russia was meddling in our elections.

And as I've said before, I don't blame Russia for the Donald. I blame CNN and our sensationalist click and viewer driven "news" But if anyone saw the CNN coverage of the election and all the attention given to the Donald at the expense of everyone else, but especially how they treated Bernie Sanders, you would agree that CNN won Donald the election.

Matthew 5:38-39
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Fox News Busted As Fake News As Fox Worked With Trump On Seth Rich Conspiracy Story

Matthew 5:38-39
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Senate Democrats say 'no' to cuts for rich in GOP tax plan

Matthew 5:38-39
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Trump's pick for top science job called progressives 'race traitors'

Matthew 5:38-39
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Those Calls to Trump? White House Admits They Didn’t Happen

Matthew 5:38-39
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Do you think it was right for the CIA to arm these jihadists? You think that was a good thing?

I never said anything about jihadists. I said I support Trump permanently leaving the White House and all that entails. Besides, the U.S. created al Qaeda, and has provided arms to many rebel groups in other countries. Let's not fool ourselves into thinking we're all being high and mighty here talking about this particular set of radicals.

You said you "only" support him leaving the White House which implies you do not support his ending of this CIA program.

The CIA has too much money. You give agencies that much money and they've got to find ways to spend it. In the CIA's case it can only be used to create chaos. No-one benefits from this regime change policy except those who make their living from war and chaos.

“The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them, inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.”
- Thomas Jefferson